


Ordinary Encounters

by violacein



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-02-08
Packaged: 2018-05-18 23:02:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5946649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violacein/pseuds/violacein
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caring about humans is foolish, and Hinoe is the worst type of fool.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ordinary Encounters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [uumuu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/uumuu/gifts).



> Sorry this is unfinished, I'll post the second half soon!

It was an ordinary way to meet someone.

This is what Hinoe tells herself, the first time. They meet by the murky surface of a lake. It is barely anything. The human merely retrieves Hinoe's silver hairpin. But then she laughs, demands “if you want this back, tell me how to get out of the forest,” and the warmth in her voice and hands burrow home in Hinoe’s chest.

The human girl leaves.

Hinoe forgets. It is foolish to remember humans who live and die in the blink of an eye, and Hinoe is no fool. So she pins her hair with the same hairpin, does not linger over its phantom warmth, does not lie awake at night turning a useless memory over and over again. And if she reaches a hand up to touch the pin several times throughout the day, well it's only natural to be so aware of an object after almost losing it. 

She busies herself as usual, offering her library and her services to those who can pay, combing through the forest for rare and valuable plants, and applying herself to various other important and meaningful pursuits.

They are extremely meaningful pursuits. They are exactly what Hinoe has done before meeting the girl. Hinoe does not let the normalcy of it wear at her, does not scour the youkai world for the smallest scrap of gossip about a bold (and brilliant and beautiful and a hundred other insufficient descriptors) human girl with the sight. Hinoe does not let memories occupy her every waking moment, does not let it encroach in her dreams, does not allow the name _Natsume Reiko_ to reach her ears, absolutely does not whisper _Reiko_ at night to feel it cradled on her tongue.

Months pass.

Hinoe forgets Natsume Reiko. 

This is a lie.

The truth, then: Hinoe tries to stop thinking of the human girl Reiko and fails miserably. 

The forest is the worst. She knows it so well the familiarity allows her mind to wander. Here it's easy to forget what she must forget. Instead of seeing spindly shoots of mugwort or bud tipped branches, her thoughts wander off to the sweep of Reiko's silver hair, to the tilt of her chin and the shadows that sweep down her neck and rest upon winged collarbones. 

Several times, her body betrays her and turns west, away from the lushest parts of the forest and towards where she knows a settlement of humans have grown. When spring comes, Hinoe can bear it no longer. 

Just a moment, Hinoe thinks. Just a peek. Humans are so weak and dirty, a moment is all it'll take to banish her from memory. She remembered wrongly. Natsume Reiko did not shine so bright.

As her feet carry her west, the trees thin around her and the grass becomes less lush. Hinoe encounters human trash with increasing frequency, first a shred of clear smooth material with human words printed on top. Then a square of cloth snagged on a bush, embroidered with simple yellow flowers. A bent metal cylinder wedged in the fork of a tree.

On the ground Hinoe comes across a battered purple box. It is flimsy, cheaply made, the sort of temporary contraption humans are so fond of. The bow tied around it falls open at the faintest tug and inside the crooked lid nestles a brown square, roughly shaped and embedded with a heart shaped mosaic of multicolored stars. It is apparent that the creator was as loving as they were clumsy. Without quite knowing why, Hinoe tucks the box into her sleeve and continues onward.

But within moments Hinoe rocks back in surprise. Coming through the trees is a slender figure, familiar from the countless intrusion in her thoughts. The person she most wants and least wants to see. Natsume Reiko.

“Human,” Hinoe says, heart pounding with hope and anticipation, “lost in the woods again?”

Reiko looks at her a moment, eyes unreadable and face impassive, an unknowable idol made flesh and blood. “Oh,” she says. “It's you.”

Not exactly the reaction Hinoe was looking for, but she falls in step with Reiko anyway. “Why is a human like you coming into the forest so often? Don't you know how many scary things lurk in these parts? Not everyone is as nice as me,” And then, spurred by a sudden leap of hope, “Ah, is that it? Have you come to see me? I have dazzled your human mind and now you cannot help but search for me.”

Next to her Reiko lets out a quiet breath of amusement and darts a glance under her lashes. Hinoe feels warmth stir under her skin.

“Not at all. I’m looking for something.”

Ah. Of course. A human wouldn’t have come for her. Hinoe is such a fool. She wishes she had never come here, wants to go straight home and banish this human from memory. But it’s been months of failure at this point, and Hinoe has no idea what else can be done. So she gives up. Lets down the half-hearted defense of a youkai who has been alone for too long, ignores the alarms blaring in her head. Looks straight at the human and drinks her fill.

Reiko is a beautiful sight, just as she remembers. Under the thickening canopy of leaves, Reiko’s skin looks soft and pale.

Reiko reaches an insouciant hand to tuck strands of hair behind her ear and without quite realizing why, Hinoe reaches up as well and brushes her fingers along Reiko’s hand. Only when Reiko stills does she see the damage in its entirety. Ragged nails. Knuckles, reddened and scraped, swelling slightly from its most recent abuse. Hinoe imagines Reiko fighting, punching some nameless human in the face with the same careless grace she displays everywhere, and feels herself heat with anger and admiration and desire.

Cupping a gentle hand over Reiko’s own, Hinoe draws her closer. Reiko looks at her, puzzled, and under the full force of her attention everything feels fragile and new. Hinoe swallows, gathers her scattered thoughts, brushes a careful finger above Reiko’s reddened knuckles. “Will you let me take care of this?”

“I— What are you doing?” Reiko startles, and tries to pull away.

Hinoe says, quickly, “Wait!" and clutching Reiko's hand in both her own, offers, "What are you looking for? I can help.”

Reiko stops. Their eyes meet. A furrow appears between Reiko’s eyebrows and Hinoe wants to smooth it out with her thumb. Slowly, as if fearing some trap, Reiko says, “Will you really help me? I’m looking for a box.”

“It’s important to you?”

“Not at all. But it’s important someone,” Reiko says. A pause, "What do you want?"

Hinoe feels almost dizzy from the force of Reiko's gaze. Her scrutiny is a jolt of pleasure up her spine, and Hinoe sways into it for a moment before saying, "Nothing. I owe you for saving my hairpin. Will you accept my aid?"

Reiko examines her for a long moment before dipping her head in acknowledgement. They form a strange picture: the human bleached of color and standing ramrod straight, the demon a head taller but full of soft overtures and bright colors. Two entirely different creatures holding hands in a crystallized drop of time.

“Will you describe this box for me?” Hinoe asks.

“Hmm, it’s probably something small and cute. You know how it is,” Reiko quirks her lips and waves a languid hand. “ _Honmei_ choco. It’s always the same.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know.” 

“It’s a human custom, you wouldn’t be interested.”

The dismissive words sink into Hinoe and curdle in her gut. Hinoe is caught between wanting to pull away and wanting to lean closer. Oh, Natsume Reiko is a horrid girl. Still, Hinoe is not quite ready to let go of this tentative thing growing between them. 

She says, “But you are involved,” then carefully, “and I find myself quite interested in you.”

Reiko’s lips part in surprise, but after a moment her face hardens. She pulls her hand away and Hinoe wants to cry at the sudden loss. Coolly, Reiko says, “So the truth is you want to eat me."

"No—"

"I knew this was a trick. Stop following me, this is important and you’re wasting my time.”

Reiko turns away with a flick of silver hair and heads back into the forest as Hinoe stands there, stunned at the misunderstanding. After the first time, she hadn't entertained the faintest thought of eating Reiko. In the hundreds of moments she'd dreamed of Reiko, she’d thought, what? A human would value her? A human could spend time with a youkai? Hinoe is a fool. 

It’s fine. The human has rejected her presence and Hinoe has looked her fill, has stored the memory of the human’s lips, the light in the human’s eyes, the sensation of the human’s skin. It’s enough to chew on until she finds some new entertainment.

Hinoe goes home.


End file.
